Pharm Report Issue No. 16

A newsletter to update clinic staff on current issues in healthcare

Issue XVI

Smoking Cessation

Now is the time to encourage your patients to quit smoking! Cigarette smoking continues to be a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, killing nearly half a million Americans every year.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) is the mainstay of smoking cessation. NRT is available as patches, gum, and lozenges. Different forms of NRT give patients the flexibility to find the ones that work best for them, and the different forms of NRT can be combined for a better chance of long-term success. For example, patches can be used to help reduce withdrawal symptoms throughout the whole day, while a nicotine gum or lozenge can satisfy breakthrough cravings.

While available over-the-counter, writing a prescription for NRT allows patients to pick up the medication at little or no additional cost (insurance companies want patients to quit, too!). When the patients pick up their prescriptions, our pharmacists can provide tips to help with proper usage and dosing to maximize the chance of success.

Other medications available to help patients quit include varenicline (Chantix) and bupropion (Zyban). Both of these medications require a prescription, but are available as generic so they will be cheaper than cigarettes!

In addition to medications, lifestyle changes have been shown to help with quitting and staying quit, both with and without nicotine replacement therapy or smoking cessation pills. Encourage your patients to throw away all of the cigarettes or nicotine devices in their homes, cars, and workplaces, and to get rid of things they might use while smoking, such as ashtrays, lighters, or matches. Have them wash all clothing and bedding that might smell like smoke, interrupt or stop daily routines that revolve around smoking or vaping, like avoiding going to a regular convenience store, or fill the time with other habits instead, like listening to music, going for a walk, or calling or texting a friend.

Things like toothpicks, straws, and cinnamon sticks can help satisfy the habit of having something in your mouth. Small objects like paper clips, rubber bands, or stress balls can help redirect subconscious restlessness with the hands, like when watching TV or talking on the phone. It can help to practice cigarette substitutions in the days before you quit so you can find what works best for you and have methods ready for when you need them.

Smoking cessation can be a challenging journey, so you will need to be prepared to continue to support your patients, even if they relapse.

The CDC’s Tips From Former Smokers is a great resource for more information on NRT, smoking cessation guides, withdrawal management, making a quit plan, and testimonials. There are also quitlines listed in several languages to provide free, confidential access to trained quit coaches. All information above was found on the CDC’s quit smoking campaign website.

Prescription Tips

• With the start of the new year, patients are seeing a variety of insurance changes. Please keep in mind that prescription changes may be required on long-term medications in order to keep them under coverage and affordable.
• With the chance of snow and ice storms becoming ever more likely, many patients prefer to pick up medications “before the blizzard rolls in,” leading to preemptive refill requests and unexpected waves of higher patient volume.
• Speaking of winter, respiratory diseases are on the rise. Our Cottage Grove location offers rapid testing for Flu, COVID, RSV, and strep.
• Want your patients to monitor their blood pressure? Blood pressure checks are available at all Forward Pharmacy locations.
• Pharmacy questions? Just call us! If you ever have a pharmacy related question, just call us. We want to work with you to help us provide the best possible care to your patients.

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